xcur-20230504

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

____________________

FORM 8-K

____________________

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 4, 2023

____________________

Exicure, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

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Delaware	001-39011	81-5333008
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)


2430 N. Halsted St.
Chicago, IL						60614
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)						(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (847) 673-1700

____________________

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class

Trading symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

XCUR

The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company x

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. x

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure

On May 4, 2023, Exicure, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release regarding its investment in Cyworld.

The information in this report is being furnished, not filed, pursuant to Regulation FD. Accordingly, the information in Items 7.01 and 9.01 of this report will not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement filed by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, unless specifically identified therein as being incorporated therein by reference.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.


Exhibit No.						Description
99.1						Press release dated May 4, 2023.
104						Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


Date: May 4, 2023	EXICURE, INC.

	By:	/s/ Sarah Longoria
		Sarah Longoria
		Chief Human Resources & Compliance Officer


			Exhibit 99.1

Exicure, Inc. Announces Investment in Korean SNS Platform Cyworld

CHICAGO, IL. — May 4, 2023 — Exicure, Inc. (Nasdaq: XCUR), historically an early-stage biotechnology company focused on developing nucleic acid therapies targeting ribonucleic acid against validated targets, today announced that it has invested in Cyworld Z Co. Ltd. ("Cyworld Z"), the operator of a Korean SNS platform "Cyworld" through the purchase of $1 million aggregate principal amount of convertible bonds issued by Cyworld Z. This investment is part of Exicure’s strategy to explore strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value.

According to Cyworld Z, Cyworld is a leading SNS platform in Korea with 32 million members, whose app was released in April 2022 and became the most downloaded app in Korea's app market, ranking first for 9 months. Cyworld Z has also indicated that Cyworld has attracted $10 million in investments from major Korean IT companies such as NHN Bugs and leading K-culture companies such as Chorokbaem Media.

About Exicure

Exicure, Inc. has historically been an early-stage biotechnology company focused on developing nucleic acid therapies targeting ribonucleic acid against validated targets. Following its recent restructuring and suspension of clinical and development activities, the Company is exploring strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value, both with respect to its historical biotechnology assets and more broadly. For further information, see www.exicuretx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact may be deemed forward looking including, but not limited to, statements regarding: the Company’s current business plans and objectives, including the pursuit of strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value. Words such as “plans,” “expects,” “will,” “anticipates,” “continue,” “advance,” “believes,” “target,” “may,” “intend,” “could,” and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such terms. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause the Company’s actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 27, 2023, as updated by the Company’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and the Company undertakes no duty to update this information or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of such statements to reflect future events or developments, except as required by law.

Media Contact:

Karen Sharma

MacDougall

781-235-3060

[email protected]

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